People 2015-2017 exco

Who we are – Executive Committee 2015 – 2017

President: Noorashikin Abdul Rahman has been a board member of TWC2 since it was first registered as a society in 2004. At TWC2 she has run projects in diverse areas such as direct services, capacity building, research and advocacy. Currently, she specialises on research and advocacy. Two recent research reports that Noor completed for TWC2 were “Justice Delayed, Justice Denied” and “Made to Work: Attitudes towards granting regular days off to migrant domestic workers”. Noor has a doctorate in Social Sciences and has published several book chapters on migration and migrant domestic workers in Singapore.

Vice-President: Russell HENG Hiang Khng joined TWC2 soon after it was formed in 2003. He has since held the position of Secretary and Treasurer and was President for four years (two terms) 2011 – 2015. He has a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University and was a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) until his retirement in 2007. Prior to his academic career at ISEAS, Heng was Features Editor of The Sunday Times in the Singapore Press Holdings group.

Secretary: Bashir Basalamah is a language professional, running a company providing translation services. He was elected to the Executive Committee in 2013 as Secretary, and re-elected to the same office in 2015. Prior to joining the Executive Committee, Bashir has been a volunteer at the Cuff Road Project for several years.

Treasurer: Alex AU Waipang was first elected to the Executive Committee in 2011 as Treasurer. In 2013 he was elected to be Vice-president, and in 2015, took the office of Treasurer again. Besides keeping an eye over finances, he leads TWC2’s web communications and internal case management information systems. Although he has a corporate and marketing background, he is better known in Singapore as a socio-political commentator and human rights activist with a long-running blog. Occasionally, he has contributed chapters to various books on politics and society.

Member of Executive Committee: YEW Kong Leong rejoined TWC2 in 2008 and has been a member of the executive committee since 2009. He held the post of Secretary from 2011 to 2013, and continues to oversee the technology needs of TWC2. Leong has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Adelaide and currently teaches at a local university.

Member of the Executive Committee: Debbie FORDYCE, a long-term resident of Singapore and a life-long advocate for the underprivileged, was helping Vietnamese boat refugees confined in camps in Sembawang in the 1980s. Now she devotes almost all her time to TWC2, leading the Cuff Road Food Programme. Her volunteer work with the meal project has her talking to workers to record their stories, and keeping records of the types of cases and the individual participants, information that supports research and reveals gaps in the system of recruitment and employment. Many of these men, in spite of their desperate situation, have become good friends ready to share their lives and dreams.

Member of the Executive Committee: Shelley THIO has been on the executive committee since 2008. Since 2006, she has been a volunteer case worker, providing advice and assistance to male and female migrant workers. The particularly invisible ones – domestic workers trapped inside homes and fishermen confined to boats – are her special concern. In the course of her work, Shelley has also been advocating for the human rights of migrant workers in Singapore.

Member of the Executive Committee: LOH Wei Hung is now devoting his time to TWC2 after a career in both the public and private sectors. He first volunteered in late 2013 and within months took on the task of re-organising and leading TWC2’s medical assistance team (‘Road to Recovery’). In this role, he and his team ensure that workers get the medical treatment they are entitled to and help them get their paperwork in good order. He also conducts training for volunteers so that they can contribute effectively.

Member of the Executive Committee: Christine PELLY is a volunteer with the Cuff Road Project. Her main concerns are inequalities and power differences and the vulnerabilities that result from this. In her work with the Cuff Road Project she advises and seeks to empower workers to address the challenges they face while unable to work. Christine is a member of TWC2′s Public Education team, arranging and conducting talks and workshops about migrant issues.

Who we are – Audit Committee 2014 -2016

Audit Committee Chair: Clarissa TAN has worked in financial auditing in Big Four accounting firms for most part of her career, where she has vast experience in regulatory reporting and implementation of internal controls. She left audit as an Audit Manager in the Ernst & Young New York City office to join the Singapore office of an investment bank as a Business Unit Controller. Currently she is a stay at home mom and spends her time volunteering at non-profit organizations. Clarissa holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University, an MBA from China Europe International Business School and is a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).

Audit Committee member: WANG Eng Eng is a documentary producer and director with a passion for all things factual. She has directed and written for AETN’s Biography Channel, Crime and Investigation Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, ESPN and Channel NewsAsia. Eng Eng has been a volunteer with TWC2 for many years, healping out especially with media projects, and was on TWC2’s executive committee from 2004 to 2013.

Who we are – Regular staff

General Manager: Ethan GUO. Ethan’s background is in media but has worked in areas ranging from government to education and now social work. Growing up, Ethan enjoyed role-playing with the microphone and naturally landed his first job as a producer-presenter on radio. He then mentored youths as a mass communications lecturer, followed by stints in both the American and Australian embassies in Singapore. He returned to media, working for a local newspaper’s digital desk before joining TWC2. Ethan is an animal lover and a self-confessed geek. He keeps up to date with new technology and believes in lifelong learning.

Social Work Associate: Jason Lee Kang Yao has an outgoing and highly approachable personality, making it easy for workers to speak with him about their problems. While he has a diploma in estate management, he is currently taking a degree course in social work. His most recent job was in the healthcare industry, helping patients with their queries. This background makes him well placed to understand issues relating to injuries, which many of TWC2 clients come with. Jason is also a part of the Project Roof team which assists severely injured injured with accommodation.

Social Work Associate: GWEE Minyi Min Yi comes to the job with a Diploma in Counselling from a one-year course at Kaplan Higher Education Academy. She is a quick learner, careful with her work, methodical and organized. In addition to her casework duties, she also runs TWC2’s drop-in centre in Little India. Called DaySpace it functions as a sanctuary for jobless workers to gather for social interaction, a free venue for self-help courses organized by domestic workers and an emergency shelter for male workers chased out by their employers.

Social Work Associate: Rashiqa as-Shafi’i spent some time on a media studies programme at Republic Polytechnic in 2009 and has held a series of jobs since. Her last position before joining TWC2 was as a Welfare Officer in Pertapis Children’s Home for two years. Rashiqa is a fast learner, demonstrating lots of initiative. In addition to her casework, she also coordinates TWC2’s relationship with Indonesian Family Network (IFN) and Filipino Family Network (FFN), two self-help groups set up by domestic workers. This involves keeping track of their activities carried out in TWC2’s drop-in centre and also calling upon them to help provide support to distressed domestic workers who approach TWC2 for help.

Social Work Associate: Mohamed Alfiyan comes with a variety of interesting skills, having trained and worked in game development and cinema projection. Lately, he’s felt drawn towards a more people-centric career, and has acquired diplomas in counselling and psychology. He is also completing a bachelor’s degree. In addition to his casework, Alfiyan assists Debbie Fordyce in managing the logistics of the Cuff Road Project, TWC2’s signature project that provides over 300 free meals a day to workers in need.

Administration Officer: Christine SCULLY handles administrative affairs, such as memberships, volunteers, outreach organising and communications with our people network. She comes with long years of experience as a personal assistant in legal firms, in a healthcare institution and in another social service organisation working with children. Always positive-minded, she finds it very rewarding to be part of a team that tries to make the world a little better.

Accounts Officer (part-time): Christina CHNG comes with a life-long career experience in accounts. She used to handle up to eight sets of books simultaneously. Her other responsibilities in TWC2 include human resources, and supporting the office bearers in discharging their statutory responsibilities. What is noteworthy is that she took substantial pay cut to join TWC2 after learning about our organisation, since we had told her that as a charity we could not be generous. “I am so impressed with the work you volunteers do for no compensation, it’s not right for me to quibble,” she said to TWC2 president Russell Heng.

Some of our volunteers

(This selection of profile pictures will change randomly from time to time)